Abusing Power: Animal Farm and Wicked History

Lesson 2
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ELA

Unit 3

8th Grade

Lesson 2 of 32

Objective


Explain the events, ideas, and social conditions that began to shape Stalin’s behavior and beliefs about the world.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Joseph Stalin (A Wicked History) by Sean McCollum  pp. 1 – 31

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

How did Marx’s ideas influence workers in Russia? How did they influence Joseph Stalin? Provide evidence from pages 23-31 of the text, and carefully explain your thinking.

Sample Response

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Key Questions


Close Read Questions

  • What characteristics did Josef Stalin demonstrate as a teenager and as a young man? Provide specific evidence from chapters 1 & 2 to support your answer.

  • Who was the Tsar, and what was the tsarist system of government? Write your answer in your own words based on your reading on page 21.

  • Who was Karl Marx and what was his philosophy? Write your answer in your own words, based on your reading from page 27.

  • Who was Vladimir Lenin and what was his goal? How did Stalin help him pursue this goal? Write your answer in your own words, based on your reading on pages 28-31.

Discussion Questions

  • What questions do you have about Stalin that you hope will be answered by reading this book?

Vocabulary


Text-based

dissident

n.

 a person who publicly opposes and criticizes their government

notorious

adj.

(p. 19)

famous for doing bad things

Academic

epigraph

n.

a quote placed at the beginning of a book or chapter that provides context for or insight into the content that follows.

Homework


To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.

  • Book: Joseph Stalin (A Wicked History) by Sean McCollum  — Chapters 4-6

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • Why did Tsar Nicholas II finally step down?

  • What happened during the October Revolution? Who took power?

  • What was the White Army fighting for?

  • What was the Red Army fighting for?

  • Who won the civil war?

  • What did Stalin do to anyone he thought was a traitor?

  • What happened to Stalin when Lenin died?

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Common Core Standards


  • RI.8.2 — Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RI.8.3 — Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

Supporting Standards

L.8.6
RI.8.1
RI.8.4
RI.8.10
SL.8.1
SL.8.6
W.8.2
W.8.2.a
W.8.2.b
W.8.4
W.8.6
W.8.9
W.8.9.b
W.8.10
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